The design of the coffee bar developed organically as materials were found and bought. When they found 3 stripped-down units originally intended for a temporary hospital, they bar's overall volume was determined.

Bureau SLA & Overtreders W came up with a great idea for a coffee shop in Florapark next to the Noorderparkkamer, but for it to be affordable they were going to have to be creative with how and where they bought their materials. Funding came from within the two firms and from crowdsourced donations. To get the materials, they scoured marketplace websites and bought from individuals selling building materials. Their first purchase was a second hand lorry in order to transport the materials.

The design of the coffee bar developed organically as materials were found and bought. When they found 3 stripped-down units originally intended for a temporary hospital, they bar’s overall volume was determined. Then they sourced windows from all over and skylights to enclose the actual bar space. Wood for the exterior was collected from renovation projects and the shutters were made with wood from a bankrupted formwork factory. The team also bought 55 liters of paint, 2 toilets, lots of ceramic tiles in white and green and more, mostly leftovers from do-it-yourself renovations. The exterior wood was charred using the ancient Japanese technique called shou sugi ban to make the exterior low maintenance and durable without any other treatments.

The result is a funky coffee shop in the middle of the park. All the materials may be second hand, but the careful design and construction with the materials results in a creative solution that could be mistaken as looking brand new. You can read more about where all the materials were sourced at hetkomtaltijdgoed.nl.